The only other hydrogen-powered vehicle available in the U.S. is the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell; both vehicles are leased only in areas of California near the three dozen operating hydrogen fueling stations now available.

FCA has never commercialized a fuel-cell vehicle. It last showed a hydrogen-powered model—the Chrysler ecoVoyager—in 2008 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

This wouldn't be the first time Chrysler and Hyundai have worked closely together on powertrain development, however.

In May 2002, when Chrysler was owned by German maker Daimler, the American and Korean automakers teamed up with Mitsubishi to form the Global Engine Alliance.

At its peak, the alliance's subsidiary Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance (GEMA) produced inline-4 engines for the three companies at five facilities: two in Dundee, Michigan; two in South Korea; and one in Japan.

After Fiat took its first round of Chrysler ownership, the American manufacturer bought Mitsubishi's and Hyundai's stakes in GEMA and took control of the Dundee plants.